Maria Duval
Encyclopedia
Maria Duval is a pseudonym
of Carolina Maria Gambia (Milan
, 1938). She has a son Antoine Palfroy who is married as Dominique Crosseti, together she had got three girls, Morgan, Isaure and Solène. Maria Duval was the owner of Astroforce until it was sold in 1997 to Health Tips Ltd in Hong Kong
(now Harmonie Ltd). Then she became President of the Institute for Parapsychological Research in Callas, a small town near Nice.
Astroforce has since then been acting as Maria Duval, a psychic
who uses her telepathic gifts to help people solve their problems or fulfill their wishes. They use her name for a well known worldwide scam. Astroforce also sells its mailing list to direct marketing
companies.
but address the recipient personally.
Each letter pretends to be sent by Maria Duval and offers some sort of help in return for money.
The letter makes unverified claims like:
None of these claims has been verified.
Complaints about these claims were upheld in the UK.
The letter then continues for about 8 to 10 pages. Duval claims she has telepathically received an important and urgent message, specially for the recipient of the letter. A special constellation of the stars
(or something like that) means that an important time period has begun in the life of the recipient. The most important wishes of the recipient can become reality now, but only with the assistance of Maria Duval.
This assistance amounts to an item which Duval will send to the recipient and ritual
s she will perform, specially for the recipient. The item could be a 'Vibrating Crystal' which is supposed to function as a telepathic connection, a pentagram
to put under the pillow of the recipient, a mascot
, an amulet
or talisman, a book with occult
secrets or a secret manual to charge up the spirit with magnetic vibrations. Often the recipient has to perform some rituals as well, at the same moment when Duval performs her rituals. These services usually costs about 100 USD, but in this special case the recipient gets a discount and only has to pay about half the normal price.
These letters seem to be written by professional marketeers using several well-known marketing methods.
In 2005 Astroforce stopped its New Zealand advertising after a complaint by the Consumers' Institute of New Zealand.
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
of Carolina Maria Gambia (Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, 1938). She has a son Antoine Palfroy who is married as Dominique Crosseti, together she had got three girls, Morgan, Isaure and Solène. Maria Duval was the owner of Astroforce until it was sold in 1997 to Health Tips Ltd in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
(now Harmonie Ltd). Then she became President of the Institute for Parapsychological Research in Callas, a small town near Nice.
Astroforce has since then been acting as Maria Duval, a psychic
Psychic
A psychic is a person who professes an ability to perceive information hidden from the normal senses through extrasensory perception , or is said by others to have such abilities. It is also used to describe theatrical performers who use techniques such as prestidigitation, cold reading, and hot...
who uses her telepathic gifts to help people solve their problems or fulfill their wishes. They use her name for a well known worldwide scam. Astroforce also sells its mailing list to direct marketing
Direct marketing
Direct marketing is a channel-agnostic form of advertising that allows businesses and nonprofits to communicate straight to the customer, with advertising techniques such as mobile messaging, email, interactive consumer websites, online display ads, fliers, catalog distribution, promotional...
companies.
Method of operation
The company places advertisements in newspapers or magazines. People who reply will receive several letters in the next months and years. These letters are mass producedMass production
Mass production is the production of large amounts of standardized products, including and especially on assembly lines...
but address the recipient personally.
Each letter pretends to be sent by Maria Duval and offers some sort of help in return for money.
The letter makes unverified claims like:
- she claims to have been making accurate & verifiable predictions for the past 23 years in at least 2,400 TV shows and 8,400 radio broadcasts
- she claims her achievements have been featured in over 700 newspaper articles
- she claims she has been able to predict the rate of the dollar and the Stock Market Index and major newspaper headlines
- she claims to regularly work with doctors and the police
- she claims to have been able to telepathically locate more than 20 missing persons
- she claims that international celebrities come from all over the world to consult her
None of these claims has been verified.
Complaints about these claims were upheld in the UK.
The letter then continues for about 8 to 10 pages. Duval claims she has telepathically received an important and urgent message, specially for the recipient of the letter. A special constellation of the stars
Astrology
Astrology consists of a number of belief systems which hold that there is a relationship between astronomical phenomena and events in the human world...
(or something like that) means that an important time period has begun in the life of the recipient. The most important wishes of the recipient can become reality now, but only with the assistance of Maria Duval.
This assistance amounts to an item which Duval will send to the recipient and ritual
Ritual
A ritual is a set of actions, performed mainly for their symbolic value. It may be prescribed by a religion or by the traditions of a community. The term usually excludes actions which are arbitrarily chosen by the performers....
s she will perform, specially for the recipient. The item could be a 'Vibrating Crystal' which is supposed to function as a telepathic connection, a pentagram
Pentagram
A pentagram is the shape of a five-pointed star drawn with five straight strokes...
to put under the pillow of the recipient, a mascot
Mascot (disambiguation)
Mascot is a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck.-Places:*Mascot, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney*Mascot, Tennessee, a city in the United States*Mascot, Virginia-Other uses:...
, an amulet
Amulet
An amulet, similar to a talisman , is any object intended to bring good luck or protection to its owner.Potential amulets include gems, especially engraved gems, statues, coins, drawings, pendants, rings, plants and animals; even words said in certain occasions—for example: vade retro satana—, to...
or talisman, a book with occult
Occult
The word occult comes from the Latin word occultus , referring to "knowledge of the hidden". In the medical sense it is used to refer to a structure or process that is hidden, e.g...
secrets or a secret manual to charge up the spirit with magnetic vibrations. Often the recipient has to perform some rituals as well, at the same moment when Duval performs her rituals. These services usually costs about 100 USD, but in this special case the recipient gets a discount and only has to pay about half the normal price.
These letters seem to be written by professional marketeers using several well-known marketing methods.
Complaints
Complaints about the letters of Astroforce were upheld by the Advertising Standards Authority in the UK in December 1999. Complaints about its advertisements were upheld in the UK in March 2000.In 2005 Astroforce stopped its New Zealand advertising after a complaint by the Consumers' Institute of New Zealand.
External links
- Maria Duval, Official site of Maria Duval
- Windsor Police Service, Scam Alert (look for "Maria Duval", about halfway on the page)
- Black, Eleanor. Fortune teller's key to happiness unveiled as scam New Zealand Herald. 19 Dec 2001.